Burial casing or vault.



PATBNTED OUT. 23, 1906.

H. 1). CLARK. BURIAL CASING 0R VAULT. APPLICATION FILED D110. 18, 1905.

VINVENTOR f g$fl ciwz/ TRNEYS' Ti lllll I TE s'r'rs rrnn FFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 23, 1906.

Nafssa'ms.

Application filed December 18, 1905. Serial No. 292,144.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH D. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Burial Casings or Vaults,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in metallic burial vaults or casings.

The object of the invention is to provide a suitably-constructed metallic casing adapted to receive the rough box and casket or' cofiin and securely cover and protect. the

same.

Among the essential features are the provision of laterally extending fastening or anchoring devices, whereby the casing is held against removal, fastening devices for permanently securing the upper portion of the casing to the bottom, and the special construction of the bottom, whereby the latter is supported above the ground or bottom of the grave, thus preventing the same from coming in contact with the moisture or water of the-earth and to a greater extent protecting the rough box, which rests on the bottom.

Still another feature resides in the arrangement of thefastening devices, whereby the same may be positioned to permit the u per portion of the casing to be placed on the bob tom without becoming fastened thereto durin ship in or transporting.

inal y t e object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described that will be strong, durable, and efficient and one in which the several parts will not be liable to get out of workin order.

With the above and ot er objects in view the invention consists of the novel details of construction and operation, a referable embodiment of which is describe in the specification and illustrated'in the accompanying drawings, Wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved burial vault or casing, showing the anchors extended. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal-vertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a trans verse vertical sectional view taken onthe line a: x ofFig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the bottom, showing the fastening devices in dotted lines swung to the position which they occupy when the casing 1s transported or shipped; and Fig. 5 is an enlargeddetail vertical sectional view showing one of .a pin, or spike maybe inserted and through the base-frameto-hold the anchors foundation on which the casing rests, thereby being held out of contact with any moisture or water lying therebeneath. Pivoted at each end and upon the upper side of the bot:

tom are airs of fastening-arms 3, each .air 4 of arms sing pivoted near the longitudinal center of the ottom and extending to the edges thereof, at which points they are bent upward at right angles to form posts t, the

said posts having their flat outer'surfaces y g the ottom 1. To these posts substantially U-shaped hangers 5 are pivoted at their upper ends, the said hangers contacting with the horizontal portions of the base-frame 2 and having their outer vertical jends curved slightly outward, as indicated .at 6. of the hangers has secured near its opposite end downwardly-extendin and outwardly-I flush with the vertical side faces-of" curved spring-latches 7,w 'ch will be hereinafter more clearly described.

On the horizontal portion of the base? frame 2 and some distance to each side of the hanger aide-housings 8 are suitably secured. Throug these housin s and across the bottom of the hangers anc or-strips 9 are passed.

These anchor-strips are adapted to be moved so as to project from the ends of; the casing and are each provided at their inner ends with an aperture 10, through each of which passed in their extended position I The bottom of the casing or vault is comparatively flat, as will be observed,-and is arranged to receive the body or cover 12, which comprises a bowed top or roof and vertcal sides and ends 13. @n the outside the cover is braced by transverse straps 14 and on the inside by transverse straps 15, the said stra s alternating or beingplaced in staggers relation to each other with reference to'the length of the cover. On the outside of the cover a longitudinal strap 16 is disposed centrally and carried down over the ends, while on the inside suitable clips 17 are engaged about the straps and secured to the cover at the upper portion thereof. By provision of these straps and clips the cover is braced and reinforced in such a manner as to make it extremely rigid and strong. About the lower edge of the cover an angular frame 18, like the frame 2, is secured, the vertical portion of said frame snugly fittin within the bottom of the cover and secure y fastened thereto. The cover is adapted to rest on the dc-housings 8 and is rovided with upwar ly and inwardly curved coking-plates 19, sodisposed as to register with the springs 7, which are pressed inwardly as the cover is passed down, so that when the cover comes to rest on the said housings the s rings 7 will pass over the upper edges of the lockingplates and stand between the same and the side walls 13 of the cover. In this way an eflicient fastening is had, as should the cover be lifted the springs would catch in the recesses formed by the plates 19 and the side walls and removal of the cover prevented.

This fastening is substantially a permanent one and when the cover is once placed in position it cannot be displaced or removed unless the casing is destroyed.

In using the casing or vault the bottom is first placed in the grave and the anchonstrips 9 extended so as to engage in the walls or earth at each end of the grave near the bottom. The pins 11 are then inserted inthe apertures 10 and passed through the baseframe 2, locking the anchors in their extendied position and preventing any movement of the same. The bottom is thus securely fastened or locked in the grave and is now ready to receive the rough box, which is;

placed thereon, resting on the arms 3 and I etween the posts 4. When the casket or coffin has been placed in the rough box and the lid of the same put in position, the cover 12 is lowered, so'that its angular frame 18 is received in the hangers 5 and comes to rest on the housings 8, the springs 17 at the same time passing over the plates 19, and thus locking the cover in position. The grave is now ready to fill and the vault completed. It is to be noted that when the cover is lowered the frame 18 is disposed over the anchor-strips 9 and the pins 11, so that it is impossible to remove the latter, as will be apparent from Fi 1.

When the vauIt is being trans orted or shipped, it is obvious that it woul be undesirable to have the anchor-stri s extended or; the cover locked in position. anchor-stri may be pushed inwardly so as to occupy the position shown in dotted lines at 20 in F' 4. By reason of the pivotal connection tween the hangers 5 and the herefore each posts 4 the said hangers may be swung upwardly to a horizontal osition, and the arms being pivoted those 0 each pair are swung together, so that the parts occupy the positions indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. The fastening arms and hangers thus being swung to the center of the bottom may be suitably secured together and held while the casing is being transported or shi ped. The cover may now be readily placed 1n position and caused to rest on the housings 8 without becoming fastened.

When it is desired to use the casing the arms and hangers may be readily swun into position and the anchor-strips manipu ated so as to pass over the hangers, the device bein thus conditioned for immediate use.

W at I claim is 1. In a burial-casing, a bottom, a baseframe on which the bottom rests, hangers pivotally supported from the bottom over the sides thereof, a cover adapted to engage in the hangers, and fastening-devices carried by thehangers and the cover adapted to lock the cover in the hangers and-to the bottom, said hangers being adapted to swing bodily inward.

2. In a burial-casing, a bottom comprising an outwardly-projecting base-frame, housings mounted on the base-frame,- anchorstrips- (passing through the housings and adapte to be projected beyond the frame, means for locking the anchor-strips in place, a cover, and means for securing the cover on the bottom with its lower edges directly over the anchor-strips.

3. In a bur1al-casing, a bottom, a baseframe on which the bottom rests, hangers pivotally supported from the bottom over the sides thereof andarranged to be swung upward and over the upper side of the bottom out of position, a cover adapted to engage in the hangers'when thesame are in osition, and fastening devices carried by the angers and the cover adapted to lock the cover in the hangers and to the bottom.

4. In a burial-casing, a bottom, a baseframe on which the bottom rests, hangers pivotally supported from the bottom over the sides thereof, a cover adapted to engage in the hangers, fastening devices carried b the hangers and the cover adapted to 100 the cover in the hangers and to the bottom, and anchor strips mounted on the baseframe passing through the hangers beneath the cover and adapted to be projected beyond the base-frame.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HUGH D. CLARK. Witnesses:

A. L. PHELPS, M. B. Sonar. 

